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'What a delivery': David Warner bamboozled by 'ball of the century'

David Warner, pictured here being bowled by Joe Root.
David Warner had no answer for Joe Root's incredible delivery. Image: Getty/Sky Sports

Joe Root sent cricket fans into a frenzy during the third ODI between Australia and England with an incredible delivery to dismiss David Warner.

A record stand of 212 between Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey helped Australia to a dramatic three-wicket victory to seal a 2-1 series win.

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Chasing 303, the tourists looked dead and buried at 5-73 - the lowest score Australia's fifth wicket has fallen in an ODI against England since 1977.

And Root’s ball to get Warner could have been the fatal blow for England.

With Warner on 24 and the Aussies 2-51, the Aussie opener was completely bamboozled by a ball that ripped and spun from the England part-timer.

Root, who normally struggles to spin the ball much, somehow managed to get one to pitch on leg stump and shoot straight past Warner’s bat into the top of off.

“Knocked him over, what a ball,” a stunned Shane Warne said in commentary for Sky Sports.

“Look at this for a cherry...look at that spin...what a delivery from Joe Root.”

Former England captain Nasser Hussain described it as an “absolute jaffa”, while a number of fans cheekily labelled it the “ball of the century.”

Maxwell and Carey make history in Aussie win

England appeared home and hosed when Maxwell joined Carey at the crease, however the Aussies set about pulling off a miraculous comeback.

Maxwell, often maligned for not producing when Australia need it most, had a day to remember as he smashed seven sixes and four boundaries in his 108 from 90 balls as the world champions suffered a first home series defeat in five years.

Carey, 106, also found form when it mattered with his maiden international century as the duo chalked up the highest sixth-wicket partnership of all-time in one-day internationals before Maxwell fell to Adil Rashid 18 runs shy of victory.

Carey fell to the final ball of the penultimate over from Jofra Archer when Mark Wood took a fantastic diving catch in the deep.

It required pace duo Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins to get Australia home with 10 runs needed from the final over bowled by Adil Rashid.

Mitchell Starc, pictured here celebrating after Australia beat England in the third ODI.
Mitchell Starc celebrates after guiding Australia home against England. (Photo by JASON CAIRNDUFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starc hit the first delivery for six and then the third ball for four to seal a memorable win with two balls to spare.

Maxwell also became the become the fastest man to score 3000 ODI runs as Australia buried the memory of Sunday's meltdown in the second match of the series.

“Maxy is in the team to do a specific role, and that's to be able to take the game away from opposition but also be that guy to counterattack and swing momentum in changing rooms,” captain Aaron Finch said.

“What makes him so damaging is he can play all around the ground.

“I don't think there's many bowlers in the world that can trouble him when he is having one of those days.

“The way he navigated that innings and took it deeper and deeper ... he did that perfectly.”

The turning point of the match came in the 20th over when Archer thought he had Carey caught at third man for nine, only for video review to show he had overstepped the mark to deliver the first no ball of his ODI career.

Buoyed by that reprieve at 5-95, the pair set about rebuilding the tourists' innings and then stepped up a gear to attack the English attack in the final 25 overs.

England had earlier recovered from being 2-0 after the first two balls of the match, bowled by Starc to score 7-302 thanks to Jonny Bairstow's 112 and 57 from Sam Billings and Chris Woakes' unbeaten 53.

with AAP